EDITORIAL: Gun violence conversation too vital to put off

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. They can, however, help you.

Guns, on the other hand ...

There is no shortage of talk about guns these days. In the aftermath of the carnage in a Connecticut elementary school that shook the nation to its soul a little more than a month ago, the nation has talked a lot about guns.

Some would say it's been more yelling than talking. That's what happens when the angelic faces of 20 innocent children are indelibly seared into our national consciousness. Yes, the tone of the conversation at times has been acrimonious.

That also is not necessarily a bad thing.

First the president weighed in, vowing to take action so that this recurring national nightmare of mass shooting never happens again. He tasked Vice President Joe Biden with putting together a panel and making recommendations on how to curb gun violence.

Then he doubled down by bypassing Congress and putting many of the recommendations into effect via executive order.

The National Rifle Association, to say the least, has not been amused, and has said so loudly. Its leader went so far as to call for armed guards in every school. That's not likely to happen anytime soon.

Neither, the critics say, are the key recommendations of the Biden panel. Those would be: Requiring background checks on all gun sales; reinstating the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004; renewing a 10-round limit on the size of ammunition magazines; and prohibiting manufacture and import of armor-piercing bullets.

To do this, President Obama must get Congress to sign off on the deals. Perhaps most telling of how deeply the Newtown shootings affected the nation has been the reaction of several local GOP congressmen. U.S. Reps. Pat Meehan, R-7, and Mike Fitzpatrick, R-Bucks, both indicate they would at least consider the expansion of background checks. Even U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., who infamously quipped in his successful campaign against Democrat Joe Sestak that his idea of gun control was "a steady aim," now is willing to consider new measures.

The background check issue is being pushed locally by a group of bipartisan mayors who refer to themselves as Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Their aim is simple: They want a background check performed for any type of gun transaction. Gun control advocates note that sales of weapons at gun shows often skirt the background check. Exactly what percentage of gun sales fall under this loophole is a matter of debate. The NRA claims the 40 percent number of gun sales carried out without a background check is wildly inflated.

This week the Daily Times convened a local panel to discuss gun control, and what changes in gun laws should be made, if any. Joining us were Lansdowne Mayor Jayne Young, local gun supplier Dusty Rhoads, who has been arming local law enforcement for decades, and Dan McMonigle, a local father, longtime NRA member, and certified range safety officer.

We certainly didn't settle the debate. No one expected that we would. What was important was that we had it.

What was important was that we heard Rhoads indicate the background check law would have a lot more teeth if the prosecution of violators was handled by the feds instead of at the local level.

What was important was hearing McMonigle point out that all the recommendations in the world will not make us any safer if there are not enough federal officers to enforce them, something the vice president has already admitted.

A couple of thresholds are pretty clear in this debate. Guns are not going away. Neither is the Second Amendment. But this time, as opposed to the days and weeks following other mass shootings, the debate is not going away either.

Those young faces remain all too haunting.

Yesterday, CeaseFirePa led a crowd of parents, teachers, school children, elected officials and victims of gun violence to the state Capitol in Harrisburg seeking action by Gov. Tom Corbett and the Legislature to strengthen state gun laws.

They weren't alone. Several rallies were held at the Capitol complex. In the morning, Pennsylvania Responsible Citizens spoke out in defense of the Second Amendment at a rally and march. At noon, CeaseFirePA gathered in the Rotunda. They were followed by a prayer vigil sponsored by the Philadelphia-based group, Heeding God's Call.

It's a conversation worth having. No, it's not always going to be pleasant. We're not going to agree. Finding common ground will likely be hard. Almost anything worth achieving usually is. Right now, nothing seems more important than having this conversation.